Automating Selected Saved Searches

PatentWatcher™ enables you to schedule saved searches to be run again automatically at intervals you specify.

Requirements for Automated Searches

For automated searches to run at the times you schedule:

• You must have saved searches, including the one or ones that you want to automate.
  (See Saving a Search - Why and How)
• The saved searches you want to automate must be selected (checked) for automation in the Saved Searches dialog.  (See Saved Searches Dialog - Basics)
• PatentWatcher™ must be running.  The automation timer, functions that determine whether a scheduled time has come, and functions that run automated searches do not operate unless PatentWatcher™ is running.
• You need a live internet connection.  A connection is needed so that PatentWatcher™ can interact with the USPTO database on its internet server.

Automation Timer

When PatentWatcher™ is launched, it starts a timer.  The timer has a resolution of 15 minutes.  Every 15 minutes, PatentWatcher™ checks the automation parameters of each selected saved search to see if it is time to run the search again automatically.

To Run or Not To Run an Automated Search

New Hits Already Today?  PatentWatcher™ assumes that the USPTO loads new patents and published applications into its databases all at once as a group.  Therefore PatentWatcher™ first checks to see whether the automated search already got new hits today.  If it did, the search is not run again today.  Only if the automated search has not already gotten new hits today are the following checks performed to see whether it is time to run the search.

Named Week Day.  PatentWatcher™ next considers the type of time unit specified in the automation parameters for the search.  If the time unit is a named week day (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc.), PatentWatcher™ determines whether now is that day.  PatentWatcher™ gets the date supplied by your computer's system clock.  It uses date math to determine what day of the week it is now.  If the date given by your system's clock falls on the named week day, PatentWatcher™ automatically runs the search.

Number of Time Units.  If the type of time unit is not a named week day, that is, if the type of time unit is hours, days, weeks, or months, PatentWatcher™ must also consider the number of units specified.  In these cases, the interval parameter is the product of the type of time unit and the number of units.  Say the unit is days, PatentWatcher™ considers how many days.  As an example, if the type of time unit is days and the number of time units is 6, PatentWatcher™ performs date arithmetic to see whether the specified 6 days have elapsed.  If they have, PatentWatcher™ automatically runs the search.

Beginning of Elapsed Interval.  The date PatentWatcher™ compares to the current date is when new hits last were retrieved for the search.  PatentWatcher™ performs date arithmetic to see if the interval between when there last were new hits and now is equal to or greater than the interval parameter you set.  If the elapsed interval is equal to or greater than the interval parameter, the query is run by automation.  Stated another way, if the last date when new hits were retrieved for the search was as long ago or longer ago than the automation interval, PatentWatcher™ automatically runs the search.

The following arithmetic expressions summarize the foregoing discussion:

	Now		picked up from your computer's clock
-	When New		when the search last got new hits
=	Elapsed Interval		difference computed by date/time subtraction

If Elapsed Interval	>=	Interval Parameter	then run search
If Elapsed Interval	<	Interval Parameter	then do not run search

Special Cases.  PatentWatcher™ also automatically runs the search if it never has retrieved new hits since it was created or edited, and if it never has retrieved new hits since its automation parameters were changed.

PatentWatcher™ Must Be Running

Automation is in effect only when PatentWatcher™ is running.  Otherwise the timer is not running and the necessary functions of the program, such as checking whether the automation time intervals for automated searches have elapsed, are not running.  The program supports setting an option to make Patent Watcher run at Windows^® startup so that you don't have to remember to launch it.  When PatentWatcher™ is set to run at Windows^® startup, it runs minimized in the System Tray so that it is out of your way as you work using other applications.

Live Internet Connection

Even though PatentWatcher™ may be running either minimized in the System Tray or in a normal window, if you do not have a live internet connection, PatentWatcher™ cannot perform any online functions.

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